Possible norovirus outbreak that left dozens sick still perplexes

GIG HARBOR --- Sixty-seven campers at YMCA Camp Seymour in Gig Harbor who got sick may have been suffering from norovirus, officials said.

The first illnesses were reported Tuesday, just a day after the camp opened. By Thursday, the number of sick swelled, and even more 20 camp counselors started showing signs of the symptoms.

Daniel Tuilosky, 13, said two kids in his group threw up,

“I was getting kind of paranoid that I was going to get sick, and if a kid coughed, people would scoot away a little bit,” Tuilosky said.

Edie Jeffers with the Pierce County Health Department says the rapid growth in the number sick is an indicator this could be the norovirus.

“When you are talking about many people in a kind of small area, this does have the ability to spread very quickly,” Jeffers said.

The incubation period for the norovirus is usually between 24 to 48 hours after first exposure of the virus. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea and a fever.

Campers were told they had to go home on Thursday. Staff are scrubbing and sanitizing the facilities. The Pierce County Health Department is investigating and will inspect the facilities. The camp could open as early as Sunday.